Engine construction



June l5, 1948. c. N. GUERASIMOFF ENGINE CONSTRUCTION 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 8, 1941 t INVENTOR.

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June l5, VV1948. c. N. GUERASIMOFF ENGINE CONSTRUCTION 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb, 8, 1941 MSN Sw www @MN IN VENTOR. YCawZarzme/l/Gvwrm'f; vzazZ i @f Wvz /fwd ATTORNE YS.

June l5 1948' c. N. GUERAslMol-F 2,443,502

ENGINE CONSTRUCTION Filed Fb. 8, 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

June 15, 1948- c N. GUERAslMol-'F 2,443,502

ENGINE CONSTRUCTION l Filed Feb. 8, 1941 l 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

June l5, 1948- c. N. GUERAslMol-F 2,443,502

ENGINE CONSTRUCTION @y Mey/wm ATTORNEYJ.

iiifetentee .inne 15, 1948 2,443,502 ENGINE CONSTRUCTION Constantine N. Guerasimoll, Harvey, Iii. Application February 8, 1941, Serial No. 378,048

f 2 Claims. (Ci. 123-32) l This invention relates to internal combustion engines. More particularly, it relates to improvements in structure in internal combustion v engines.

Internal combustion engines have been constantly improved in design, especially in recent years, but despite this it is'well recognized that they are far from perfect even yet. For example, particularly in the case of engines of the direct injection type, in which the fuel is injected dircctly into the combustion chamber without being first volatilizcd and mixed with air, the problem of providing means for bringing about the necessary mixing ofthe fuel and air uniformly and rapidly and the promotion of burning in a uniform manner is far from being solved, although various expedients have been proposed for overcoming the difficulties in part. I

It is. therefore, an object of this invention to provide internal combustionengines of the direct injection type having an improved design as respects the volatilization, mixing and distribution of .fuel and the promotion of uniform and com-l plete combustion thereof.

Another object is to provide improved means for causing turbulence in the combustion chamber of internal combustion engines of the direct injection type.

A further object is to provide an internal combustion engine of the type in which fuel is injected under high pressure into the combustion chamber without prior mixing with air, which engine includes cooperating means operating respectively during scavenging, compression and at the time of ignition, to bring about controlled acceleration of turbulence, including, among said means, means for producing counterflow turbulation.

A still further object is to provide a U-type compression ignition internal combustion engine in which fuel is directly injected under pressure, which engine includes cooperating means operating respectively during scavenging, compression and at the time of ignition, to bring about controlled acceleration of turbulence, including, among said means, means for producing counterow turbulation.

A more specic object is to provide an internal combustion engine of the direct injection type, which includes means operative during compression for producing a controlled acceleration of turbulence within the combustion space.

A still more specific object is to provide a U- type compression ignition engine having direct fuel injection, which includes means operating respectively during scavenging and compression to bring about controlled acceleration of turbulence.

Still another object is to provide means for producing turbulence of a predetermined type in the combustion space of internal combustion engines.

Another object is to provide an internal combustion engine of the direct injection type having means for producing counterflow turbulation` in the combustion chamber.

A still further object is to provide means in an internal combustion engine of the direct injection type for accomplishing the most advantageous combustion of the fuel injected therein.

Another object is to provide heat insulating means for insulating the ring belt of the piston in an internal combustion engine from the'combustion chamber.

Still another object is to provide a piston for an internal combustion engine having heat insulating means on the inner end for decreasing the quantity of heat reaching' the ring belt of the piston and retaining the heat in the combustion space.

A further object is to provide means for rel taining heat in the combustion space of internal combustion engines of the compression ignition A type to improve fuel economy and to prevent carbon formation or crank-case dilution.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

It has now been found that these objects may be accomplished by constructing internal combustion engines as illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and in which Figure 1 is a partial vertical section on the line i-l in Figure 2, through a two-stroke cycle, U-type, compression ignition, internal combustion engine embodying features of the present invention and showing the pistons approaching and-substantially at the lower limit of the'r power stroke;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the engine as shown in Figure 1, with a portion broken away to show a horizontal section on the line 2-2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a partial vertical section, similar to Figure 1, on the line 3-3 in Figure 4, showing the same engine as the pistons are approaching and substantially at the upper limit of their stroke;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the engine as shown in Figure 3, with a portion broken away to show a horizontal section on the line 4-4 in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a vertical section, similar to Figure 1, on the line l-l in Figure 6, showing the same engine with the pistons substantially at the upper limit of their compression stroke and substantially at the instant when combustion is initiated in the turbulator:

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the engine as shown in Figure 5, with a portion broken away to show a horizontal section on the line 48--8 in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a partial vertical section, similar to Figure 1, on the line 'I--l in Figure 8, showing the same engine just after the pistons have passed the upper limit of their compression stroke and are starting downward on the power stroke;

Figure 8 is a top plan view of the engine as shown in Figure 7, with a portion broken away to show a section on the line 8--8 in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a partial vertical section on the line l-l in Figure 10, through a two-stroke cycle, U-type, compression ignition, internal combustion engine embodying features of the present invention but having an alternative construction:

Figure 10 is a top plan view of the engine as shown in Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a partial vertical section, similar to Figure 9, on the line Il-Il in Figure 12, showing the same engine with the pistons in a different position;

Figure 12 is a top plan view of the engine as shown in Figure 11;

Figure 13 is a partial vertical section on the line- |3I3 in Figure 14, through the upper portion of still another form of two-stroke cycle, U-type, compression ignition, internal combustion engine embodying features of the present invention;

Figure 14 is a partial horizontal section on the line I4|4 in Figure 13;

Figure 15 is a partial vertical section on the line II--ii in Figure 14;

Figure 16 is a partial vertical section on the line lB-IS in Figure 17, showing a four-stroke cycle, compression ignition, internal combustion engine embodying features of the present invention;

Figure 17 is a partial horizontal section on the line ll-I'I in Figure 16; p

Figure 18 is an enlarged, detailed. vertical section on the line |8-I8 in Figure 19, through one of the pistons in the engine as shown in Figures 1 to 8, inclusive:

Figure 19 is a top .plan view of the piston as shown in Figure 18;

Figure 20 is a partial, enlarged. vertical section through the engine shown in Figures 1 to 8, inclusive,'on the line 20-20 in Figure 21, showing in greater detail certain features of construction; and

.Figure 21 is a partial horizontal section on the line 2|-2I in Figure 20.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 to 8, inclusive. and 18 to 21, inclusive, it will he seen that a two-stroke cycle Uvtype. compression ignition, internal combustion engine is shown, which includes a cylinder block 39 and a head I2 bolted thereon, with a gasket 34 therebetween. The usual passages and 38 are provided, respectively, in the block and head for circulation of liquid cooling medium. As in the conventional two-stroke cycle. U-type engine, the block is provided with a pair of adjacent bores 49 and 42 in which a pair of pistons 44 and, re-

- usual sealing rings 5l. In order to minimize the transfer of heat tothe piston ring belt, with resultant loss in heat from the combustion space and resultant break-down oi' lubricating oil in the region of Vthe rings Il due to possible overheatf ing, the upper portions of both pistons 44 and 44 are provided with heat insulating means. These include an annular slot l and insulating spaces 62. Insulating spaces 42 may be simply air spaces or maybe layers of asbestos, mica or other types of heat insulating material, as the conditions of operation for which the engine is designed may require.

Insulating means are made possible by the provision of caps 64 and I6. which are shrunk onto the heads of pistons 44 and 49. respectively. Caps 84 and 08 are respectively secured to the piston by annular inturned portions 68 and Il which are shrunk into the annular grooves 'I2 and 'I4 located immediately above the annular slots I9. In order to provide spaces 02 depressed areas are provided -on either the inner face of caps 84 and Olor on the opposed upper face of the piston; or both, as desired.

As illustrated in Figure 18, the depressed area is provided on the opposed face of the piston, the cap 86 resting on the annular ridge remaining around the outer edge of the upper face of the piston. To give added strength to the cap a centrally located, downwardly extending projection 18 is provided which rests against the upper face of the piston. The circular dotted line in Figure 19 shows the general shape of the depressed area provided on the upper face of the piston beneath the cap Cap I4 is constructed similarly in this respect to cap 63. and the upper face of the piston 44 includes a similarly depressed area.

As described above, the vcaps 94 and are generally similar 'but there is an important difference between them. Whereas, the upper surface of cap 44 is flat and smooth. cap Il is provided with an upwardly extending curved portion 18. Centrally located above the-two bores 49 and 42'in the head 32 is a combustion chamber 80. In order to minimize heat loss in this combustion chamber, the top and a portion o! the sides thereof are provided with heat insulating material l2. As is best indicated in the plan views of Figures 2, 4, 6 and 8, the insulating material l2 extends only part way around the sides of the chamber 8|. leaving a space I4 not covered with insulation.

It will be noted that the upwardly extending portion 18 on piston cap Il corresponds generally in horizontal cross-section with the portion of insulation l2 omitted to provide space I4 and is positioned so that it projects into this space when piston 48 is at the top of its stroke.

, Projection 'Il is proportioned and positioned so as to provide a very close clearance at on one end thereof and between it and the adjacent wall of combustion chamber Il, and so as to provide a substantial open space at Il on the other end.

throat |09.

It will be noted that portion 19 gradually increases in thickness in a horizontal direction from the end where opening 89 is provided to the end whereopening 99 is provided, for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

Adjacent the combustion chamber 90 in head 92 is a counterilow turbulator 89 of novel construction which cooperates with the combustion chamber 99, as hereinafter described. Turbulator 99, as may be seen. includes a hollow, generally cylindrical insert 92 fitting within the inner portion of an opening 90 in head 92. The clearance between insert 92 and the wall of opening 99 depends upon the power output for which the engine is designed. The hollow interior of insert 92 first decreases in cross-sectional area adjacent chamber 90, and then flares outwardly just as it opens into chamber 90 to provide a throat.at |99. Insert 92 is driven into opening 90 and serves as insulation for the turbulator chamber 94 provided by its hollow interior. Shoulders, as at 99, on insert 92 rest against cooperating ledges provided in opening 90 to 4position the member 92. Further defining the interior configuration of chamber 94 is an annulary insert |09 in turn driven into insert 92 and having its hollow interior shaped as shown in the drawings. A plug 99 is driven into opening 00 behind insert 92 and with one end abutting the outer end of insert 92. The inner end of plug 98 is dished out, as at |04, so as to minimize the area of contact between the metal of-turbulator 89 surrounding chamber 94 (which becomes quite hot as hereinafter. disclosed) and the metal of plug 99 which surrounds the injector |02. The purpose in so minimizing the area of contact is to minimize heat flow from chamber 94 to the injector |02.

The high pressure fuel injector |02, which is of conventional construction, is positioned in an opening in plug 99. Opening |00 extends through plug 99 and is proportioned so that the inner end of injector |02 is just flush with the surface of plug 98 in the dished out portion |04. Opening |00, through which fuel injector |02 extends, is positioned so that injector |02 is centered with respect to chamber `94 and is alined with the opening |08 connecting chamber 94 and combustion chamber 80. The result of this arrangement is that the majorportion of the stream of fuel discharged by injector |02 passes straight through turbulator 89 and is injected through opening |08 into chamber 80.

The tubulator chamber 94 is designed as shown to produce conditions therein such that the entire volume of air in the turbulator 89 will be involved in the combustion process and to eliminate dead spaces where carbon is likely to be formed, such as corners or sharp angles. The annular member |06 serves this purpose, for example. At the other end of turbulator 89 adjacent throat |08 the same result is accomplished by gradually decreasing the diameter of chamber 94 down to the minimum diameter of Throat |08, providing a restricted means of communication between chamber 94 and chamber 90, serves a purpose which will become apparent hereinafter.

The whole assembly, including injector |02, plug l-99, and insert 92 in which annular insert is positioned, is secured in position as described by a bar 95 which may be formed integrally with injector |02 or which may be a separate part having a central aperture so that it may be positioned on the injector |02, as shown, and rest against shoulders formedfon injector assembly, including injector |02, plug 99, and

insert 92, firmly in place. It will be apparent that other fasteners than bolts ,|0|, as well as other securing means than bar 95. may be used if desired. Thus, the fasteners can be formed integral with head 92 and threaded on their outer ends which project through apertures 99, nuts, such as wing nuts, being threaded thereon and drawn up tightly against the outer face 'of bar 95. l

It will be noted that the turbulator 99 and the injector |02 are positioned so that fuel injected into chamber 90 enters chamber 89 in-a substantially horizontal direction at a point slightly above the middle vertically of chamber 99.

Viewed in plan, however, the path of the fuel into chamber 90 is not central but is roughly tangential with respect to the vertical walls of chamber 80.

The exhaust ports 5S, the horizontal crosssection of which is clearly shown in Figures 2 and 20, are, as will be noted, of conventional construction. I Intake ports 54. on the other hand. are arranged so that the gases entering the cylinder 40 are moving in a direction tangential to the vertical walls of cylinder 40. Also, 'ascan be readily seen in Figures 20 and 21, the top 5| of the dividing wall portion 53 of block 30 defined by the sides of bores 40 and 42 and by a pair of lines 55 parallel to a line connecting the centers of the two bores 40 and 42, each of which lnes 55 is tangent to both. bores, is dropped to increase the cross-sectional area of the combustion space between the two bores and to and 18 to 21, inclusive, the invention will be better understood from a description of the operation of the engine. As will become more apparent hereinafter, the engine shown in these particular figures includes a novel counteriiow turbulator and is designed to produce controlled acceleration of turbulence in the combustion space. This acceleration of turbulence is produced in three stages, as described hereinafter.

Figure 1, as stated above, shows the pistons approaching and substantially at bottom dead center. As can be seen, the upper side of piston 46 has already moved down below the exhaust ports 56 so that they are now wide open, and piston 44 has moved down to a point where intake ports 54 are partly open. The dotted line at ||0 shows the path taken by the air which is forced into the combustion space above piston 44 under a gauge pressure of preferably about three to seven pounds. Pressures in'this range produce good scavenging in two-stroke cycle engines, although other pressures may be used, depending on the speed at which the engine is to be operated or the power desired. Since, as

, pointed out above, intake ports 54 are located and arranged so as to direct this air in a generally tangential direction, the air will swirl around upwardly through the space above piston 'exhaust ports ll. scavenging the products of the previous combustion stroke from the combustion space and at the same time filling it with air for kthe succeeding compression stroke.

Proceeding now to Figure 3, the pistons have moved past the bottom limit of their stroke and have continued upwardly on thev compression stroke to the position shown in this figure. The compression stroke has not quite proceeded to the point where the injection of fuel takes place. FigureA 3 is included for the particular purpose of showing the function of the projection 1l on piston cap N. l

As will be apparent from the description above of the construction of projection 'Il and its relation to combustion chamber, as the upper edge of projection 1I enters combustion chamber I0, it traps air behind it in the space H2. As the piston continues upwardly this'air is compressed more than the air in the remainder of the combustion space and tends to seek an outlet from the space Il! where it is trapped. Because of the close fit between the outer circumference of projection 1l and the wall of the combustion chamber l0, as well as the close fit between the end of projection 18 at Il and the adjacent insulation l2, the only space remaining through which a substantial amount, of the trapped air may escape from space Il! into the combustion space is that provided at I8. The sides of this space 8l, as will be noted,are arranged to direct the air into combustion space l also in a direction generally tangential to the side walls of the combustion space. This causes the air to follow a circular path, as indicated by the arrow and dotted line Ill. In order to maintain the swirling motion of the air in chamber I0 and later on of the fuel, and to prevent interference with air passing through the space Il. the pro- 8 into the chamber M oi' the turbulator Il con tinuouslyy during the rest of the compression stroke or until the pressure in chamber I4 rises due to combustion therein. Before the air pressure in chambers-ll and Il can be equalized by this flow,4 injection of fuel takes place.

The cross-section of the stream of fuel from the injector Il! shows a central portion. including most of the injected fuel. surrounded by an envelope of relatively finely divided particles.

As described above, the fuel is injected through chamber Il and through opening ill into chamber Il and thus passes through opening Ill in a direction counter to that of the air under pressure which is still entering chamber .I from chamber CII. As a result of these opposed movements of air and fuel. the air tends to strip from the jet of fuel the finely divided particles and to carry them back from opening I into chamber 84 to retain them within the chamber I4, the main portion of the jet of fuel being in jected into chamber I0, however. Furthermore, since the stripped portion of the fuel is in the most finely divided and volatile state and is thus most readily ignitable, ignition starts within the chamber I4 in turbulator 8l, as shown inI Figures 5 and 6. As a result of the starting of ignition within the chamber M, pressure in this chamber quickly rises above that in chamber Il so that the contents of chamber M then discharge into the chamber lll. By way of explanation, it may be pointed -out that the excess of the pressure in turbulator l! over that in chamber lli may rise to approximately 400 to 600 pounds per square inch or even higher, although the invention is not intended to be limited in this respect. Because of the arrangement of jet |02 and turbulator I0 to exhaust intochamber 80 in a tangential direction, this discharge produces the third impetus to the swirling motion of the air in chamber 80, adding still further to the turbulence jection 1l is made of greater thickness adjacent space 8l, as described above. By way of example, it is pointed out that the close fit referred to above, as between the projection 18 and the wall o f combustion chamber 80, and between projection 1l and insulation 82 at li,` is one involving a clearance of the order of a few thousandths.

The second step in the production of turbulence within the combustion space has now been described, the first being the tangential admission of air into the combustion space, as shown in Figure 1. It will be seen that the second stage in the promotion of turbulence is arranged to cooperate with the first and continue to accelerate the swirling motion of the air produced by the first, as is indicated particularly by the direction of the arowsin Figures 2 and 4, and that the turbulence and its acceleration are controlled by the progressive functioning of the various stages and by the design and cooperation. The third step is thus arranged to cooperate with the first two and give added impetus to the swirling motion producing the turbulence. The third impetus is provided by the counterilow turbulator 89.

After the pistons have progressed upwardly on the compression stroke to the proper point, fuel is injected as shown in Figures 5 and 6. During the compression stroke it will be apparent that the pressure in combustion chamber l0 will rise above that in turbulator I9 due to the restricted communication between chamber l0 and chamber 94 through throat |08, so that air will be forced from chamber l0 through the opening I" therein.

Considering the third stage more in detail, it is seen that a rapid movement of the compressed air in the combustion space in a fairly well defined direction is in progress along with a movement of the compressed air from chamber Il through opening '|08 into turbulator I9 at the time that the fuel is injected by injector ill through turbulator 88 into chamber 80. As described above, the volatile portion of the fuel jet is largely stripped by the compressed air streaming in a direction opposed to the fuel jet through opening |08 so that this stripped fuel does not reach chamber but is retained in chamber Il and, being the most readily ignitable portion of the jet, it ignites in chamber 94 before ignition takes place in chamber 80.

The resulting rise in pressure `in chamber Il then reverses the 'ow through throat |08 and causes a discharge of the contents of chamber 94 into chamber 80. This takes place while the injection of fuel into chamber 80 is still going on and, since the dischargethrough throat ilil into chamber 80 is tangential in a direction concurrent with the movement already in progress in chamber lll, the movement is still further accelerated. It is already well known in the art that a maximum of controlled turbulence within the combustion space is highly desirable, and it will therefore be apparent readily from the foregoing that the turbulence in the combustion space l0 produced as described herein makes for very rapid atomization of the fuel and mixing 'of it with the air to provide a highly combustible mixture. In addition, however, the gaseous material discharged into chamber from turbulator 00 is already in the process of burning so that the ilame travel in chamber 00 is increased greatly over that resulting simply from normal llame propagation in quiescent air. The rapid travel of the burning gases, plus the high state of controlled turbulence, mixes the ignited and unignited gases very rapidly. Consequently, the combustion of the iuel takes place much more rapidly and at the same time more completely. thereby providing not only greater fuel economy but permitting higher speeds of operation as weil, along with increased power output.-

In the light of the foregoing description of the construction and function of counterflow turbulator 89, it will be clear that there are practical limits within which the capacity of turbulator 03 relative to that of combustion chamber 80 should be kept for best results. The preferred relation exists when the volume of turbulator 09 is about fourteen per cent to about sixteen per cent or around fifteen per cent of that of the combustion space when pistons 44 and 46 are at the extreme upper limit of their stroke. The combustion space includes the space in turbulator 89, as well as that in combustion chamber 00. The volume of turbulator 89 is`not limited to the above percentage, however. It may, for example, vary from about seven per cent to thirty per cent of the combustion space, when pistons 44 and 4Q are at the extreme upper limit of their stroke, oreven higher and lower, depending upon a variety of considerations.

Since compression ignition engines depend upon the heat developed in the combustion chamber to bring about the ignition of the fuel injected, retention of heat within the chamber is desirable, particularly in medium output engines. To this end, in addition to lproviding insulation 82, the combustion chamber may be further insulated by providing spaces, such as |I6, vbetween the insulation 82 on the top of combustion chamber 80 and the adjacent wall of the cylinder head 32. These spaces may be p rovided, as was true of those beneath the piston caps, by dishing out the Wall of the cylinder head or the opposed face of the insulating material 32, or both. They may simply be air spaces or they may be filled with insulating material such as asbestos, mica or any other suitable heat insulator. I

The engine shown in Figures 1 to 8, inclusive, is designed to run at high speeds with high specific output and with a clean exhaust. By high speciiic output is meant power output divided by the cubic inches of displacement, and by "high speed is meant from about 1800 R.. P. M. up, 1200 to 1500 R. P. M. being considered medium speed. As a matter of fact, speeds as high as 2500 R. P. M., with the three stage turbulation feature embodied in the engine shown in Figures 1 to 8, may be used.

For industrial applications where only moderate speeds are required, but where exceptionally good fuel economy is desired, adequate turbulence can be obtained by employing only two stages of. turbulation. Such an engine is shown in Figures 9, 10, 11 and 12. As will be apparent from the description of this engine, it is also of the direct injection compression ignition type and embodies means for producing and accelerating the turbulence, including a combination of tangential admission of air with a further impetus `to the swirling motion given by a projection on top of one of the pistons. A turbulator, such as counterlow turbulator 39 shown in Figures i to 8 is not employed.

The structure of the engine shown in Figures 9 to 12, inclusive, is generally similar to that in Figures 1 to 8, including a block H8 and a head |20 bolted together with a gasket |22 therebetween. Passages |24 in the block ||8 and passage |26 in the head |20 are provided for cooling medium. This engine is also of the U-type and includes a pair of adjacent bores |28 and |30 in which a pair of pistons |32 and |34, respectively, reciprocate. These pistons, like those in the erigine of Figures 1 to 8, are connected to a cranks shaft (not shown) by a conventional connecting rod arrangement |36.

Intake ports |38 are constructedv in the same manner as ports 54 to provide for tangential admission of air, and exhaust ports |40 are of conventional construction, as described above for ports 50. Pistons |32 and |36 are, respectively, identical in construction with pistons 46 and 4e, being provided, respectively, with shrunk-on caps |42 and |44, respectively identical with caps 64 and 66, projection |46 corresponding to pro jection 18. Projection |4'6 is arranged to extend upwardly at the top of the stroke of piston |353n into a combustion. chamber |48 provided with insulation similar to insulation 82, and having an open space |49 therein to receive the projeotion |46. This insulation |50 is also arranged with the side walls of the head |20 to provide insulating spaces |5| lwhich may be air spas or may include suitable heat insulating material. The conventional fuel injector |52 is mounted in the usual way in a thickened portion |41 of head |=20 and extends directly into the combustion chamber centrally of the top. In this engine, as in that of Figures 1 to 8, the top |53 of the dividing wall portion |55 of block IIB between bores |28 and |30 is dropped to increase the cross-sectional area between the two vbores and thus provide forv greater air flow during scavenging.

The operation of this engine will be apparent from the description of the engine shown in Figures 1 to 8. Air admitted tangentially through intake ports |38 swirls upwardly above cylinder |32, thence through the combustion chamber |48 over the top |53 of dividing wall portion |.'i5,v

downwardly above cylinder |34, and out through the exhaustv port |40, scavenging the engine and producing the first stage of turbulation. During the compression stroke the projection |46,

- through the medium of air trapped in the space |54, further accelerates the turbulence, as described in connection with Figures 1 to 8. Ac-

cordingly, when the fuel is injected into the chamber by injector |52, suiiicient turbulence is provided so that excellent fuel economy can be obtained for moderate speed operation.

It will be noted that, as shown in Figures 1 to 12, combustion chambers 80 and |48, and also turbulator chamber 94, are heat insulated. The engine shown in Figures 13 to 15, inclusive, does not include any such heat insulated chambers since the cylinder head and piston head are designed for high speed and very high output which are accompanied by a very high rate of heat formation. Where heat insulating materials inter-4 fere too much with heat dissipation, this high rate of heat formation tends to produce such excessive temperatures that the metal is burned, cracked, or otherwise disintegrated, and therefore the use of insulated chambers, as in the engine's of Figures 1 to 12, is not desirable in the engine of Figures 13 to 15. The air trapping projection on one of the pistons (such as projections 'Illand |88 in Figures 1 to 12) is also omitted from 1the design of the engine in Figures 13 to 15, since teriiow turbulation. In engines of very high output, where the rate of heat formation is very great, it may not only become necessary to do away with heat insulation in the main combustion chamber but may sometimes be desirable to resort to the use of metals having high coeiiicients of heat transfer, such as aluminum or copper, in order to maintain proper cylinder head operating temperatures.

As may be seen, the engine in Figures 13 to 15 is also a two-stroke cycle, U-type. compression ignition engine' and thus is generally similar to that shown in Figures 1 to 12, inclusive. For this reason only the upper portion of the engine is illustrated since it is in this portion thatthe construction differs. It will be noted that the arrangement of the injector and countertlow turbulator chamber is different in some respects fromthat shown in Figures 1 to 8, but it should be understood that these arrangements are merely alternatives and that either may be used in either form of engine.

The engine shown in Figures 13 to 15 include a cylinder block |58 and a head |88 bolted together. in the usual manner, with a gasket |88 therebetween, the usual passages |82 and |88 being provided for cooling medium. The engine,

' 12 insulation is omitted from the combustion chamber and the turbulator chamber.

The usual combustion chamber |88 is centrally V located in the head |88 over the adjacent bores |88 and |88. Head |88 is further provided with an integral extension |82 in which the fuel injector |88 of conventional design and the countcriiow turbulator |88 are located. Cooperating with extension |82 on head |88 is a corresponding integral extension |88 on cylinder block |88 which aids in supporting extension |82 and also in cooling it, the cooling medium passage |82 being extended in extension |88beneath extension |82. as at |88. Passage |88 in head |88 also is continued into extension |82 over turbulator chamber |88 as at |82. This turbulator |88 is a vertically extending cylindrical opening in ex" tension |82, with the sides merging with the ltop as at |84 to provide a dome-shaped connguraticn. A horizontally extending. generally cylindrical opening 88, located in extension |82 and communicating with chamber |88, is provided to receive the fuel injector |88. It is positioned so that injector |84 will inject fuel through chamber |88 directly into chamber |88 ln a horizontal direction generally tangential to the adjacent side walls of chambers |88 and |88 and preferably near the middle vertically of chambers |88 and |88. Opening |88 is of a size such that injector |84 just fits snugly therein.v Injector |88 is reduced in diameter adjacent the inner end thereof to provide an annular shoulder |88 and opening |88 is correspondingly reduced in diameter to provide a cooperating annular shoulder being of the U-type, includes a pairof adjacent bores |88 and |88, in which pistons |18 and |12.

lrespectively, reciprocate. Bothpistons |18 and |12 are identical in construction with piston 88,

including annular ring insulating slots |18' and caps |18 shrunk thereon, with insulating spaces |18 provided between the caps |18 and the respective pistons. The spaces |18, as in the case of other pistons, may be air spaces or may contain insulating material, such as asbestos, mica or other heat insulators.

Whereas, as pointed out above, in this engine. which is designed for high output and high speed, because excessive temperatures may be encountered, no heat insulation is provided around the turbulator chamber and the combustion chamber,

for the same reason the insulation is retained on t the piston head and assumes an even. greater importance. 'I'he distinction is obvious since the insulation on the chambers is between the source of heat therein and the cooling medium to which it is desirable for'the heat to pass so that it is harmlessly dissipated while, on the other hand, 4

the insulation on the piston head is between the source of heat and the piston ring belt. It is not desirable for heatto pass to the piston ring belt at anyy time'since the lubricating oil working up the cylinder walls to lubricate them gets up to the piston ring belt and since the latter, if at too high a temperature-tends to carbonize and otherwise break down the' oil, causing not only ring sticking but also loss of the lubricating properties ....e c This, then, explains why the piston headsl are insulated with caps such as |18, slots such as |18, and spaces such as |18, even though 288 against which'shulder |88 rests. Shoulder 288, which serves to position injector |88 longitudinally of opening |88. is located so as to position injector |88` with respect to chamber |88 in the position clearly shown in Figure 14.

Injector |88 is secured in place as described, in a manner similar to that in which injector |82 is secured. by a bar 282 which may be formed .integrally with injector |88 or which may be a separate part having a central aperture so that it may be positioned on the .injector |88, as shown, and rest against an annular shoulder 284 on injector |88. Bar 282 is apertured adjacent either end, as at 288, to receive fastener umts, such as bolts 288, which are turned into threaded openings 2|8 in extension |82, pulling bar 282 up tightly against shoulder 288 vwhereby to secure injector |88 in opening |88. It will be apparent. ofl course, that, as in the case of injector |82, other means for securing injector |88 in place may be employed. v As was pointed out above, injector |88 is arranged to inject fuel straight through chamber |88 into chamber |88, an opening or throat 2|2 connecting chambers |88 and |88 being provided for this purpose. It will be observed that injection through the counterow turbulator chamber directly into the combustion chamber in a direction tangential to the adjacent side wall thereof is a feature common to all forms of the counteriiow turbulator. Turbulator |88 is unique insome respects. as described above. One important feature is that the fuel passes through chamber |88 in a direction tangential to the adjacent side walls, and air entering chamber |88 more rapid mixing of the contents of the chamber, The use of this arrangement is not peculiar 13 to the particular type of engine shown in Figures 13, 14 and 15. It may be employed with the other types of engines, including those disclosed herein. Similarly, a turbulator arranged like the turbulator in Figures 1 to 8 may be used in the engine of Figures 13, 14 and 15. It will be observed that opening 2|2 is arranged to provide a gradually tapering path for the passage of the injected fuel narrowing as itr approaches chamber |80. This,

l though the lower portion of the engine is not shown in Figures 13 to 15, inclusive, tangential admission of air is provided for to produce the ilrst stage of turbulation. In this, as in the other U-type engines described herein, the top 2|8 of the center dividing "wall 2|! between the bores |66 and |68 is dropped vbetween a pair of tangents, the location of which is indicated by dotted lines 2|8 and 220, in order to increase the cross-sectional area of the combustion space between bores |66 and |68 and facilitate scavenging.

The second and nal stage in this engine is provided by the counterflow turbulator |86. As in the engine shown in Figures 1 to 8, the fuel is injected through the turbulator |86 into the combustion chamber |80 while air under pressure is being forced from chamber |80 through opening 2|2 into counterflow turbulator |86. This flow of air results, obviously, from the rapid rise in pressure in chamber |80, coupled with the restricted lopening 2|2 through which air passes into turbulator |86 to equalize the pressure. The compressed air which moves into turbulator |86 entering in a direction tangential to the adjacent side wall tends to set up a swirling motion of the contents of turbulator |86 in a counterclockwise direction. This occurs prior to fuel injection through turbulator |86 and the swirling motion is thus well established when injection starts. This is important because, although the fuel also enters turbulator |86 tangentially, it is moved in a direction which tends to cause swirling in a clockwise direction or, in other words, in a direction opposite to that of the swirling produced by the air entering chamber |86 through opening 2 2. This arrangement thus provides a maximum of turbulence within the counterow turbulator |86 itself, still further contributing to the more rapid initiation of combustion therein. This in turn causes the discharge into chamber |80 to occur more quickly after the air reaches a state of compression suillcient to raise the gases to ignition temperature and also causes the discharge to rise to a maximum more rapidly.

As described above, the air rushing into turbulator |86 through opening 2|2 strips from the fuel jet passing through turbulator |86'and opening 2|2 finely divided fuel particles which are the more readily ignitable portion of the jet. Ignition is thus initiated first in turbulator |86, causing the pressure in that chamber to rise rapidly to a point where it greatly exceeds the pressure in chamber |80, as described above with respect to Figures 1 to 8. This causes a reversal of gas flow through opening 2|2, gases then being forced from turbulator |86 into chamber |80 which they enter tangentially in a direction concurrent with the direction of flow of the air produced bythe tangential admission thereof through the intake port. The discharge from counterilow turbulator |88 into combustion chamber |80 produces the same results outlined above in describing the operation oi counterilow turbulator 88 in Figures 1 to 8, the relative capacities of the combustion space and cham-ber |86 being capable of varying as also described above in connection with turbulator 86, and the preferences expressed above also applying to this engine. The discharge from turbulator |86 into chamber |80, as a result of the initiation of combustion in chamber |86, takes place while injection of fuel through chamber |86 into chamber |80 is still in progress. The increased turbulence produced during thel actual injection of fuel causes the latter to atomize and mix with the air very rapidly and, since the material discharged from turbulator |86 into chamberl |88 is already burning, it tends with the turbulence to bring about a much more rapid ilame travel than that produced by normal flame propagation in quiescent air. Both more rapid and more complete combustion result in making possible among other things improved fuel economy and higher speeds of operation.

Figures 16 and 1'7 illustrate the application oi' the invention to a four-stroke cyclefcompressiori ignition engine. As in Figures 13 to 15, only the portion of the engine adjacent the combustion space is shown since otherwise its design is not restricted, so far as this invention is concerned. It is to be noted that in this engine, as shown, only one stage of acceleration of turbulence is employed, namely. the f-coun'terflow turbulator.

At least one other stage may be employed, if desired, namely, the airtrapping projection on top of the piston (such asv projection 18) but not so readily as in the U-type engines. In the U-type engines the cylinders are located so that the combustion chamber extends over only a portion of the area of each so that by providing a projection, such as 18, extending across the top of the piston except for the small outlet at 88, and fitting closely against the wall of the combustion chamber when the piston is adjacent the top of its stroke, atrap ||2 surrounded by the walls of the bore, the piston top, the projection and the cylinder head, is provided from which the air can only escape through the outlet 88, In the engine of Figures 16 and 1'7 it will be apparent that, due to the relative sizes and locations of the cylinder and combustion chamber, a slightly different form of projection is required, although the principle of operation is the same. Thus, a projection on the piston in Figures 16 and 17 would need to extend around substann tially the whole periphery of the combustion chamber to provide a trap.

The structure of the engine shown in Figures 16 and 17 includes the usual cylinder block 222 and a cylinder head 228 bolted thereto with the usual gasket 226 therebetween. A piston 228 works in a bore 280 in' block 222 in the usual manner. Passages 232 and 28| in block 222 and head 228, respectively, are provided for the circulation of cooling medium.

Piston 228 is linked in the customary way by a connecting rod 236 to a crank-shaft (not shown), and is provided with the usual sealing rings 238, but in other respects differs materially from pistons now in use, being identical in construction with piston M, for example, described above. Thus, it is provided with a shrunk-on cap 240 identical with cap 84, be-

is neath which a heat insulating space 242 is provided, which, like space 52, may be an air spaceor may be filled with suitable heat insulating material. 'I'he annular slot 244 corresponds to slot 55 on piston 44, serving tovminimize heat transfer from the combustion chamber to the portion of the piston where sealing rings 255 are located. The rod section 245 is a portion of one of the conventional cam-controlled valve push rods.

An air inlet valve 245 in head 224 controls communication between the combustion chamber 245 of the usual type and the inlet air passage 255. The combustion chamber 245, although located over the cylinder 255, is somewhat smaller in diameter than cylinder 255 and thus there is sumcient space so that exhaust valve 252 may ,also be mounted over cylinder `250 at one side of chamber 245. .c

v'Ihe portions of head 224 described up to this point are of an old and well-known design and are set forth merely as an illustration, there being no intent to limit the invention to them. A novel feature of head 224 is found, however, in counterfiow turbulator 254. No detailed description of'turbulator 254 is necessary here since it is identical with turbulator 55 in Figures 1 to 8, is mounted and secured in head 254 in the same way that turbulator 55 is mounted and secured, and is arranged, with respect to combustion chamber 245, to discharge into it in a direction tangential to the adjacent side wall thereof in the same manner that turbulator 55 discharges into chamber 55. The fuel injector 255, like the other fuel injectors shown herein, is of the usual construction and it too is positioned and secured in the same way that the fuel injector |52 is positioned and secured in Figures l to 8, inclusive. Thus,v a heat insulating vinsert 255 of a hollow and generally cylindrical form ts tightly within an opening 255 in head 2,24 extending from the outside of the head 224 into chamber 245. An annular shoulder 252 on insert 255 rests against a cooperating ledge 254 in opening 255- to position member 255. An annular insion stroke, air is forced through throat 215 from combustion chamber 245 into turbulator chamber While this movement of air is still. in

255. progress, the fuel injection starts. Due -to the arrangement of injector 255, turbulator 254 and p which passes into chamber 245 and thus the mixv contents of chamber 245 then exhaust through sert. 255 Ais in turn driven into insert 255 t0 form with insert 255 the. turbulator chamber 255.

The latter communicates withl chamber 245 through the throat 215 provided in insert 255, which throat 215 is alined with fuel injector 255 so that fuel is injected directly into chamber 245 through chamber 255. Plug 212 driveninto opening 25 againstv insert255. is provided with a central opening 214 to receive injector v255. The dished out formation at 215 on plug 212 is provided to minimize contact between insert 255 and plug 212. Cooperating shoulders 211 and 215 in opening 214 and on injector 255, respectively, serve to position the latter as shown. A bar 255 centrally apertured to receive injector 255 rests against shoulder 252 thereon and, on being drawn up tight by bolts 254 threaded into head 224, holds the entire assembly of injector and turbulator securely in place It is believedl that the manner of operation of the engine shown in Figures 16 and 17 will be readily apparent from the foregoing description ofits construction taken with the description of the operation of the other engines shown herein. Essentially, the only difference in operation between this `and other four-stroke cycle, compression ignition engines occurs on the compression and power strokes, the operation during the intake and exhaust strokes being unchanged. As

in the other engines shown during the compresthroat 210 into chamber 245,`producing audaccelerating turbulence therein in a fairly well defined direction due to the arrangement of throat y21|! to discharge into chamber 245 in a direction tangential to the adjacent side wall. The resulting turbulence not only promotes rapid atomization of the fuel and mixing of it with air, but also causes flamev travel to veryv substantiallyy exceed that produced by normal flame propagation in quiescent air. More rapid and complete burning of the whole body of fuel results, producing in turn improved fuel economy and permitting much higher speeds of operation.

A wide variety of forms of compression ignition engines have been described above. This variety of applications of the invention indicate its broad scope. Thus the invention is applicable generally to any kind of internal 'combustion engine in which the fuel is injected. By injection of fuel is meant the supplying of it to thecombustion space without first atomizing or volatilizing it and mixing it with a gaseous source of oxygen, such as air. The engines disclosed in thedrawings are designed primarily to burn a'Dlesel type fuel but thev invention is nevertheless applicable to engines burning gasoline and designed-to have the gasoline supplied by injection rather than carburetion. In applying the invention to gasoline engines, however, care must be taken to avoid pressures which are too high and to provide means to dissipate the heat produced, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, particularly'where the air trapping projection on the piston is employed as one stage of accelerating turbulence.

Control of the temperature conditions in the combustion space and adjacent thereto, as well as in the counterflow turbulator, goes far to improve the performance of any internal combustion engine, and is especially important in engines of the compression ignition type. Considerable attention has, therefore, been given to this factor in the engines disclosed herein. Thus, in the engines designed for medium output at either high or medium speed, it is desirable to reduce the heat loss in order to improve fuel economy and, therefore, in the engines of those types shown herein the walls of the combustion chamber, the head of the piston and the walls of the counterflow turbulator, where used. are provided with insulation. The temperature in the combustion space can be controlled to a great extent by Uri variation of the size of the insulating spaces protion end point oi. the fuel used. This prevents formation of carbon where the fuel strikes these walls because atV such temperatures the fuel ywill vaporize quickly or else will not condense, "and accordingly does not remain in a state where it fails to mix with sufficient oxygen to burn completely. It also prevents dilution of the crankcase lubricating oil by unburned fuel from the combustion chamber. The high wall temperatures maintain the fuel in a superheated state until the combustion is completed, so that complete combustion of the fuel is promoted. Still another advantageous result accruing from maintaining -the walls with which the fuel comes in contact at such temperatures, whereby more complete combustion is promoted, is that ring sticking is minimized. Ring sticking results when fuel is allowed to come into contact with the relatively cold piston rings and form carbon and gum, and is minimized when the fuel is kept superheated and vaporized or atomized and is more completely burned, since under the latter conditions little or no unburned fuel remains after combustion and littleor none can come into contact with the rings in the superheated state. Insulation also serves to improve the engine starting characteristics by reducing the rate of heat flow from the compressed air in the combustion space to the cooling medium either through the walls of the combustion chamber or through th piston. V

Although one purpose of the cap shrunk on 'the piston head with a heat insulating space beneath it is to minimize heat loss and improve fuel economy, it has afurther function, which is to lower the piston head temperature, atleast in the piston ring belt and below. The whole piston head is, in fact, designed to lower the temperature in the piston ring belt. Oil from the crank-case working up the cylinder walls to lubricate them gets up into the piston ring belt. In most engines the temperature of this =portion of the piston may normally reach 500 F. This, as is well known, is sufficient to break down and carbonize lubricating oils of the types now available commercially and, therefore, the lowering of the ring belt temperature tends' to prevent sludging of the lubricating oil and carbon formation therefrom in the ring belt. The insulation to be used in the insulating space beneaththe cap depends on various conditions, such as power output and general piston temperature conditions, and will be chosen in accordance therewith. i

Although the cap shrunk on the piston head and providing a heat insulating space therebeneath, as well as the annular insulating slot, isV

shown in all of the engines illustrated in the drawings, the invention is not limited to this piston structure. Pistons lacking either or both of the features may be used in engines embodying other features disclosed herein without exceeding the scope of the invention. Such pistons are especially valuable, in connection with the other features disclosed herein for promoting combustion, especially in engines designed to take advantage of the higher `speeds pos'sible with the more rapid and complete combustion which may be obtained, since the rate of heat formation under such conditions makes the disadvantage of known pistons as regards ring belt temperature particularly acute.

The fact that either'the yair trapping piston projection or the counteriiow turbulator may be used alone or may be combined with each other and/or with tangential admission of air to produce and accelerate turbulence to any desired degree is evident from the above description. Furthermore, the invention applies generally to two-stroke cycle engines having fuel injection so that it is not limited to the U-type engine shown.

Since those skilled inthe art have long recognized that increased turbulence, particularly of a directed or controlled type, is highly desirable in engines in which the fuel is injected, the advantages of the means disclosed herein for producing andy accelerating turbulence will be apparent to such persons at once- The air trapping piston projection, by putting the compressed air into a state of directed turbulence, greatly facilitates the atomization and mixing of the fuel with the air, and to some extent, at least, contributes to the production of more rapid flame travel. The counterflow turbulator also promotes atomization of the fuel and mixing of it with air and to an even greater extent increases the rate of fiame travel over that of normal fiame propagation in quiescent air due to the fact that it exerts its effect at the time when ignition is starting. The air trapping projection and counterflow turbulator, when used together, produce a still greater improvement, cooperating with each other and with tangential admission of air, if used, to produce an even more rapid and complete combustion.

It is apparent that many widely different embodiments of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit vand scope thereof and, therefore, it is not intended to be limited except as indicated in the appended claims.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. In a U-type internal combustion engine the combination of a cylinder block having two cyl-A inders side by side therein, pistons movable along said cylinders-respectively, a combustion chamber at the ends of both rcylinders and in communication with both with at least one of the cylinders having a portion extending transversely beyond the side face of the combustion chamber, a head closing the ends of the cylinders about said combustion chamber, and means comprising a plate on the end of the piston in said one cylinder shaped and positioned to cooperate effectively with the side wall of said combustion chamber when said piston approaches the end of its movement toward said head adapted substantially to close off temporarily from said combustion chamber that portion of the cylinder extending beyond the combustion chamber, said closing-off means being arranged for providing a`restricted passageway for the movement of air from said transversely extending portion of the cylinder into said combustion chamber in such direction as to cause anyeddy effect in the air in said combustion chamber.

2. In a U-type combustion engine, the com- I bination of a cylinder block having two'cylinders cylinders respectively, a circular chamber at the ends of both cylinders and in communication with both with at least one of the cylinders having a portion extending transversely beyond the side face of the chamber, a head closing the ends of the cylinders about said combustion chamber, a plate on the end of the piston in said one cylinder shaped and positioned to have an operative closure effect with the side wall of said combustion chamber when said piston approaches the end of its movement toward said head for trapping a quantity of air in said transversely extending portion of the cylinder, means on the inner face of said chamber in position to have an operative closure effect with one end of said plate, and means on the inner face of said chamber in position to cooperate with the opposite end of said plate for providing a restricted passageway for the movement of air from said transversely extending portion of the cylinder in substantially tangential direction to said chamber for causing an eddy effect in the air of said chamber.

CONSTANTINE N. GUERASIMOFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 841,830 Wackenhuth Jan. 22, 1907 1,127,810 Rogers Feb. 9, 1915 1,239,523 Rogers Sept. 11, 1917 1,609,449 Williams Dec. 7, 1926 1,662,989 Stroud Mar. 20, 1928 1,684,074 Schaeren Sept. 11, 1928 1,741,417 Hewitt Dec. 31, 1929 1,767,701 Rehm June 24, 1930 1,838,495 ONeill Dec. 29, 1931 1,867,683 Sperry July 19, 1932 1,914,793 Sydlowski June 20, 1933 Number Number 20 Name Date Ricardo Sept. 19, 1933 Russell et al. Jan. 2, 1934 Baj Oct. 23, 1934 Nibbs Mar. 5, 1935 Wirrer July 2, 1935 Fischer Oct. 29, 1935 Haag Sept. 15, 1936 Treiber Dec. 1, 1936 Ramsey Jan. 12, 1937 Candlish Oct. 26, 1937 Rube Nov. 16, 1937 Mirchell June 28, 1938 Portman Dec. 27, 1938 Scott Feb. 7, 1939 Portman Dec. 26, 1939 Chapman June 11, 1940 Huesley July 2, l1940 Dietrich July 23, 1940 Rosen Oct. 11, 1938 Schrom Sept. 17, 1940 Starr May 27, 1941 Maw Sept. 8, 1942 Ashe Dec. 14, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Denmark May 9, 1912 Germany June 22, 1928 France 1930 Germany July 8, 1935 England Mar. 16, 1932 England May 17, 1932 Sweden Nov. 28, 1933 England Feb. 6, 1936 France Nov. 1, 1931 France Dec. 6, 1937 England July 5, 1940 Germany 1941 Sweden Sept. 30, 1941 England No date 

